Storage hanging rack

ABSTRACT

A hanging rack device comprises a rod slideably received in a tubular sleeve, the rod having attached thereto a hanging rack and which sleeve includes guide means for directing the inclination of the rod and rack between vertical and horizontal depending on the extent in which the rod is received in the sleeve.

United States Patent 1191 Royeton Feb. 26, 1974 STORAGE HANGING RACK 1,391,495 9/1921 Parsons 211/94 2,032,891 3/1936 Schultze..... [761 ig g ggz j g g 2,634,031 4/1953 Klein 211/60 R x [22] Filed: June 22, 1972 Primary ExaminerRamon S. Britts 1 pp No 265 358 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Jerry R. Seiler 57 ABSTRACT [52] U.S.Cl. ..2l1/94,211/l16 1 [51] Int. Cl. A47f 5/08 A hangmg rack devlce compnses a md Shdeably [58] Field Search 211/116, 90 94, L3, 88 153; ceived in a tubular sleeve, the rod having attached 108/143; 232/35, 34 thereto a hanging rack and which sleeve includes guide means for directing the inclination of the rod 5 References Cited and rack between vertical and horizontal depending UNITED STATES PATENTS on the extent in which the rod is received in the v l 677,967 7/1901 Fenstermacher 232/35 S eeve 879,341 2/1908 Welch 21 H94 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures STORAGE HANGING RACK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Storage space in closets for hanging articles such as trousers, shirts, ties and the like is usually considered at a premium since existing closet space is often found to be inadequate. Building of additional or expanded closet facilities are impractical since the closet space is designed and built as a specific portion of a home or apartment so that modifications are usually quite expensive. Accordingly, as a persons supply of clothes increases, the individual garments or articles when placed on hangers are simply squeezed together so that each article has a more limited storage space. Such a condition usually results in the clothes becoming wrinkled because they are frequently pushed or forced together, especially when one attempts to remove or hang up an article of clothing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention obviates aforementioned problems of clothing storage by providing an extendable hanging rack on which a plurality of trousers, ties, belts and the like may be stored in a relatively small space within a closet thereby providing more room for shirts and coats. The device incorporates featureswhereby it may be extended from the closet interior for easy access and exposure of the stored articles.

The device of the invention comprises a tubular sleeve which is secured within a closet and in which sleeve is received a slidable rod. A rack for hanging articles of clothing is attached to the rod. The tubular sleeve includes guide means for directing the inclination of the rod and attached rack so that when the rod is substantially fully received in the sleeve, the storage rack will hang vertically downwardly thereby taking up a minimum of space; when the rod is extended out of the sleeve so that the rack is exposed and extends outwardly from the closet interior the indexing means provides for rod and rack inclination so that the rack is disposed substantially horizontal.

The device is simple to manufacture and has relatively few parts thereby making it attractive commercially and for consumer use. These as well as other advantages will be evident from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the device of the invention partially in phantom, illustrating two positions of the rack;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of two devices shown installed in a closet;

FIG. 3 is a partial detailed view showing the guide means for the rack; and

FIG. 4 is a partial view of a tie and belt rack embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown the device of the invention comprising a tubular sleeve 12 in which is received slidable rod 14. The tubular sleeve is hollow so that rod 14 may be substantially fully received in the sleeve or be extended outwardly. Attached to rod 14 is rack 16 on which trousers or similar garments may hang from bars 13.

A particularly advantageous feature of the device of the invention is that in a first position in which rod 14 is substantially fully received in tubular sleeve 12, rack 16a is inclined substantially vertically as shown in phantom in FIG. 1. This position of rack 16 also illustrated in FIG. 2, takes up a minimum amount of space within a closet even when a plurality of such racks are installed. When it is desired to remove or espose trou-v sers or other apparel stored on rack 16, it is grasped and pulled outwardly so that rod 14 extends from tubular sleeve 12 as shown in FIG. 2. At the same time, rack 16 is inclined substantially horizontal when it is in the fully extended position as shown. In that position a plurality of trousers located on bars 13 hang separately as they would normally from a traditional hanger so that they may be selected and removed individually from rack 16 without interfering with adjacent trousers on the rack.

Referring also to FIG. 2, rack 26 is shown in an extended position while rack 16 is shown in a stored position. Accordingly, rack 26 is inclined substantially horizontally so that apparel thereon may be easily and readily observed and removed or replaced as desired. Thus, in the extended position, the rack is pulled outwardly away from the closet interior for easy access to stored apparel. Onthe other hand, rack 16 in its substantially vertical stored position within the closet takes up a minimum of space, and yet, articles stored thereon are not normally ruffled or undesirably wrinkled since such articles hang on separate bars.

Observing further both FIGS. 1 and 2, tubular sleeve 12 may be conveniently attached within an existing closet area utilizing brackets 25 and 27. These brackets may be attached directly to the underside of closet shelf23 or may be secured to a separate support panel so that a pair of racks l6 and 26 or more may be fixed to such a panel and provide a unitized construction for easy assembly or attachment within a closet area. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2, brackets 25 and 27 may be secured to panel member 29 which member is attached to closet shelf 23. Additional stability and support for the shelf may be provided by utilizing brace member 22 which may also be secured to panel member 29 if desired. It will be noted that brace member 22 may be secured to a closet wall as shown.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, means for guiding the inclination of rod 14 and attached rack 16 is provided by guide channel 20 which extends along and through tubular sleeve 12. Guide member 18 extending from rod 14 travels along guide channel 20 as rod 14 is pulled inwardly or outwardly within tubular sleeve 12. Guide channel 20 extends along a portion of the bottom length of tubular sleeve 12 from rearward end 30 thereof and along a portionv of the side length of the sleeve adjacent the forward end 32 thereof. In other words, the guide channel is formed so that when indexing member 18 is positioned near rearward end 30 of tubular sleeve 12, rod 14 and rack 16 are inclined so that the rack extends substantially vertically or downwardly as is rack 16a in FIG. 1. As rod 14 is pulled forward and indexing member 18 nears forward end 32 of sleeve 12, it will ride along channel guide 20 as shown in FIG. 3 so that rack 16 extends horizontally when rod and rack are pulled outwardly to extend from sleeve 12 in a position shown in FIG. 1. Again, these two positions are shown in FIG. 2 with rack 16 in a stored position extending downwardly and rod 14 substantially fully received in tubular sleeve 12. On the other hand, rack 26 is inclined substantially horizontally in a position when it is desired to retrieve or replace articles of clothing thereon.

Observing further FIG. 3, it will be noted that bracket 27 is placed adjacent end 32 of sleeve 12 so that the bracket acts as a stop member for indexing member 18 to prevent rod 14 from inadvertently being pulled completely out of the sleeve. Further, channel guide 20 preferably extends to the forward end 32 of sleeve 12 as shown. Such a feature is desirable since the device may be disassembled by removing bracket 27 whereby rod 14 and indexing arm may be pulled completely out of forward end of sleeve 12. However, such embodiment is optional and channel guide 20 may be terminated at any location along the sleeve as desired. In addition the location along the length of sleeve I2 at which guide channel 20 changes from bottom to side is not critical although preferably that location will be toward the forward sleeve end.

FIG. 4 illustrates features of a tie and belt rack including extensions 21 and hook 19 which extend from rack member 17. Such features are not critical and may be modified as desired for convenient hanging of ties or belts and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, a hanging rack assembly comprises a pair of hanging racks l6 and 26. Rack 16 is useful for hanging trousers which may be hung from each of the cross bars 13 (see FIG. 1). Rack 26 incorporates the features shown in FIG. 4 for hanging ties, belts and the like. A rack assembly combining a plurality of racks may be one in which all of the racks are of one type or another or combinations thereof, depending upon the type of articles desired to be stored. Accordingly, it will be evident that the feature of removing rod 14 as illustrated in FIG. 3 offers an option of incorporating either of the types of hanging racks shown or later exchanging one kind of rack for another.

A further convenient feature illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is the rack design which includes a notched area 15 in which a bar normally found in a closet may fit when the rack is in the storage position. Thus, with such a design the rack may be placed in the vertical storage position without interfering with the clothes hanging bar normally present in a closet.

In a futher embodiment, the channel guide may extend from along the sleeve bottom, directly upwardly adjacent the forward sleeve end so that normally, rack inclination from vertical to horizontal must be moved by hand. In other words, if the channel guide is directed abruptly upwardly rather than somewaht gently sloping as shown in FIG. 3, an operator will likely have to pull the rack up to a horizontal position. The rack may then be temporarily maintained in that position by incorporating a notch for resting indexing member 18 horizontally. These as well as other modifications and embodiments within the purview of the invention will be evident to those skilled in the art.

' I claim:

1. A rack for hanging articles of clothing comprising:

a tubular sleeve having a forward and rearward end,

a rod slidably received in said sleeve having a hanging rack attached thereto comprising a frame end and crossbars for hanging articles of clothing thereon, and

a channel extending along said sleeve with a first portion of said channel being located in the bottom of said sleeve and a contiguous second portion being located in a side thereof, and a guide member attached to said rodand received in said channel for directing the inclination of said rod and hanging rack between a first position when said rod is substantially fully received in said sleeve with said guide in the first portion of said channel and a second position when said rod is extended from said sleeve with said guide in the second portion of said channel.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said hanging rack extends downwardly in said first position and substantially horizontal in said second position.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said channel extends along the bottom of a major portion of the length of said sleeve and along the side for a minor portion of said length, wherein said minor portion is adjacent the forward sleeve end.

4. The device of claim 3 including stop means along said channel adjacent the forward sleeve end.

5. The device of claim I wherein said rack comprises a frame and crossbars for hanging trousers thereon.

6. The deviceof claim 2 wherein said rack is moved between said first and second positions by sliding said 

1. A rack for hanging articles of clothing comprising: a tubular sleeve having a forward and rearward end, a rod slidably received in said sleeve having a hanging rack attached thereto comprising a frame end and crossbars for hanging articles of clothing thereon, and a channel extending along said sleeve with a first portion of said channel being located in the bottom of said sleeve and a contiguous second portion being located in a side thereof, and a guide member attached to said rod and received in said channel for directing the inclination of said rod and hanging rack between a first position when said rod is substantially fully received in said sleeve with said guide in the first portion of said channel and a second position when said rod is extended from said sleeve with said guide in the second portion of said channel.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said hanging rack extends downwardly in said first position and substantially horizontal in said second position.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein said channel extends along the bottom of a major portion of the length of said sleeve and along the side for a minor portion of said length, wherein said minor portion is adjacent the forward sleeve end.
 4. The device of claim 3 including stop means along said channel adjacent the forward sleeve end.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein said rack comprises a frame and crossbars for hanging trousers thereon.
 6. The device of claim 2 wherein said rack is moved between said first and second positions by sliding said rod along said sleeve. 